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Of Road Trips and Chinese History


I just returned from a 5400-mile road trip from Minnesota to Newfoundland, Canada (and back).

Most people I know think driving that far is nuts. “What do you do?” they ask. “Don’t you get bored driving 8 or 10 hours per day?”

My answer is simply “Nope.” I enjoy taking in the scenery (in this case Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland), and, when not driving, reading.

Another thing I enjoy is listening to podcasts. My podcast tastes are all over the map, from sermons to political commentary to Bible reading.

I also gravitate towards historical podcasts. And my favorite historical podcast is the Chinese History Podcast. It is the brainchild of Lazlo Montgomery, a businessman from Southern California who started it for the joy of educating people about Chinese history. The uniqueness of this podcast is Montgomery’s story-telling style, which makes the historical events so accessible to those who are new to the field. What’s not to love about that?

On this last road trip, I got Montgomery’s take on the “Yuan Dynasty,” ”The Flying Tigers”, and the ”Birth of US-China Relations.”

Other favorite series include ”The Kaifeng Jews, ”The History of Hong Kong,” ”The Cultural Revolution,” and ”The History of Tea.”

If you are a Chinese history buff, then this podcast is for you. You can listen to the podcasts directly from the website, or subscribe in iTunes.

I’m already looking forward to my next road trip!

Do you already listen to The China History Podcast? Click on over to our Facebook page and let us know which episodes are your favorites.

And watch for the September episode of ChinaSource Conversations, "Christian Education in China: Inside and Outside the Classroom." It will be live tomorrow!

Image credit: Cabot Trail, by Joann Pittman, via Flick.
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Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman

Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio


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